Wiper arm with cover cap

ABSTRACT

A wiper arm including a securing member and a hinge member coupled thereto via a hinged joint, and a cover cap affixed to the securing member and having a cover wall and side walls laterally contiguous thereto which cover the securing member. Adjacent to the cover cap toward the hinge member is a movable hinge cap which is coupled to the hinge member and covers the hinged joint, while it is guided on the securing member and the cover cap, respectively, in a manner that it is able to swivel and is movable in longitudinal direction.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a wiper arm.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

German Published Patent No. 23 26 183 describes a wiper arm whichincludes a plastic cover cap. It is mounted on the securing member andis retained on a bearing bush of the hinged joint by open bearing eyesin a manner allowing it to swivel. The cover cap completely covers thesecuring member, particularly the connection area to a wiper shaft andthe hinge bearing of the hinged joint. On the inner side, the cover capalso has stop webs which guide and retain it on the securing member. Thehinge member engages with its u-shaped profile in the region of thehinged joint over the cover cap, so that lateral rivet heads of a hingepin and gaps between the hinge member and the cover cap, particularly onthe upper side, which may be desirable for the swivelling motion of thehinge member may be seen. The visual impression may thereby bedisturbed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention, adjacent to the cover cap toward thehinge member is a movable hinge cap which may be coupled to the hingemember and may cover the hinged joint, while it is guided on thesecuring member and the cover cap, respectively, in a manner so that itmay swivel and move in the longitudinal direction. The hinge capincludes a u-shaped cross-section which may be adapted to the profile ofthe cover cap and the profile of the hinge member, a smooth andharmonious transition may thereby be formed in the hinge region. Inaddition, the hinge pin may be covered, so that overall, the hingedjoint may receive an aerodynamically favorable form.

For securing purposes, the hinge cap may include on the inner sides ofits side walls, studs which engage in holes in the side walls of thehinge member and in elongated holes in the side walls of the securingmember, respectively. In this context, the studs may be dimensioned suchthat, during assembly by pushing the side walls of the hinge cap apart,they may snap into these holes and the hinge cap may be mounted on thehinge member in a simple manner and without additional expenditure.

While the hinge cap may be rotationally mounted in the circular holes ofthe hinge member, in addition, the elongated holes in the securingmember may be used as elements for the kinematic guidance of the hingecap.

When the wiper arm is lying against the vehicle windshield, the ends ofthe side walls of the hinge cap may partially overlap the side walls ofthe hinge member to the outside, while the side walls of the cover capmay overlap the side walls of the hinge cap a bit to the outside. Inaddition, in this extended position, the cover wall of the hinge cap mayjoin up flush with the cover wall of the cover cap and of the hingemember, resulting in a visually closed form of the wiper arm. At thesame time, this may be aerodynamic and may produce almost no wind noise.

During the swinging process, the hinge member may be raised from thevehicle windshield. In this context, the kinematics of the hinge cap maybe configured such that the end of the hinge cap allocated to the hingemember is raised, while the end of the hinge cap pointing toward thesecuring member is lowered and plunges into a free space between thecover cap and the securing member.

Thus, the swinging process may not be hindered by the hinge cap, and thehinged joint may be covered even in this position. When the wiper armlays down on the vehicle windshield, the parts may lie contiguous to oneanother again without a gap.

Given the covering of the wiper arm according to the present invention,in principle it may be possible to retain the usual hinge construction.If the hinge member and/or the securing member is/are configured as bentsheet-metal parts, the holes and elongated holes for the sequence ofmotion may be simply and cost-effectively produced by punching. Inaddition, due to the covering in the hinge region, it may be possiblefor the cover wall of the securing member to be taken back in the hingeregion. The normally closed form of the securing member in the region ofthe hinged joint may no be longer necessary, which likewise may reducethe production cost.

The hinge cap and the cover cap may be produced from plastic byinjection molding. The plastic may simultaneously be wear-resistant,dimensionally stable and stabilized with respect to ultraviolet light,or may be able to be lacquered. In order to avoid material accumulationsin the region of the studs, they may be ring-shaped in cross-section andmay have openings at the periphery which permit a lateral ejection fromthe mold. In addition, pre-molded on the inner sides of the side wallsof the hinge cap may include ribs which improve the guidance during theswinging process and prevent jamming of the components.

Furthermore, the configuration of the cover cap and of the hinge cap maybe so adjusted to one another and so adapted to the hinge member and thevehicle that the quality of the product may become apparent. With theembodiment of the caps as an add-on part, the configuration and thus theappearance of the windshield wiper may easily be changed, usingidentical hinge components. Finally, when working with a short securingmember, the cover cap and the hinge cap may be combined to form aone-piece component which may be mounted in the same manner as the hingecap on the hinge member and securing member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a perspective partial view of a wiper arm.

FIG. 2 shows a hinge member of the wiper arm in perspective view frombelow.

FIG. 3 shows a securing member of the wiper arm in perspective view frombelow.

FIG. 4 shows a hinge cap in perspective view from below.

FIG. 5 shows an enlarged representation of a detail V in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 shows an enlarged representation of a detail VI in FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 shows a partial longitudinal section through the wiper arm in anextended state.

FIG. 8 shows a partial longitudinal section through the wiper arm inpartially tilted position.

FIG. 9 shows a partial longitudinal section through the wiper arm intilted position shortly before reaching an end position.

FIG. 10 shows a wiper arm according to FIG. 9 having a short securingmember.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A securing member 12 of a wiper arm 10 is connected to a hinge member 14via a hinged joint 16 (FIG. 1). A hinge pin 18, which is riveted inholes 54 in side walls 22 of hinge member 14 and is supported viabearing bores 26 in side walls 24 of securing member 12, forms theswivel axis of the hinged joint.

A hinge cap 32, which may be produced from plastic in the injectionmolding process, covers hinged joint 16. It is put on preassembled wiperarm 10 onto hinge member 14 and securing member 12. To that end, hingecap 32 has a u-shaped cross-section adapted to adjacent components 12,14 of wiper arm 10. Provided on inner sides 38 of side walls 36 of hingecap 32 are studs 40 and 42 which are not visible from the outside andwhich engage in holes 20 in side walls 22 of hinge member 14 and inelongated holes 30 in side walls 24 of securing member 12.

In the extended state, when the windshield wiper is lying against avehicle windshield, hinge cap 32 joins up with hinge member 14 andreaches up to a cover cap 46 which covers the fastening region of wiperarm 10 on a wiper shaft (FIG. 7). In this position, cover wall 34 ofhinge cap 32 terminates flush with cover wall 48 of cover cap 46 and theupper contour of hinge member 14. Side walls 36 of hinge cap 32 areconfigured so that they partially overlap side walls 22 of hinge member14. In the boundary area between hinge cap 32 and cover cap 46, sidewalls 36 of hinge cap 32 are overlapped by side walls 50 of cover cap46. Thus, wiper arm 10 has a continuous transition between hinge member14, hinge cap 32 and cover cap 46, adjusted to each other in size,resulting in a closed and compact form. In this position, studs 40 aresupported in holes 20 in hinge member 14, and studs 42 are in an endposition of elongated holes 30 in securing member 12. When wiper arm 10swings away from the vehicle windshield, the sequence of motion of hingecap 32 is determined by the position of holes 20, of elongated holes 30and of studs 40, 42, as well as by the shape of elongated holes 30.

During the swing of hinge member 14, its holes 20 describe a circularpath 66 about hinge pin 18 of the hinged joint. Corresponding to thecircular movement, hinge cap 32 is raised in the region of holes 20 andis shifted in the direction of the remote end of securing member 12.During this movement, it is guided by its studs 42 which engage inelongated holes 30 on securing member 12. The position of holes 20 onhinge member 14 and the position of elongated holes 30 on securingmember 12 are adjusted to one another in such a manner that, during theswing movement, no collision occurs between hinge cap 32 and hingemember 14, securing member 12 or cover cap 46 fixedly seated thereon. Inaddition to the positions of holes 20 and elongated holes 30 relative toeach other, the movement of hinge cap 32 may be influenced by the shapeof elongated holes 30 which may run straight or curved in longitudinaldirection 62.

During the swinging, a gap 56, covered by hinge cap 32, between hingemember 14 and cover cap 46 decreases compared to the extended position.In order to ensure a free motion, cover wall 34 of hinge cap 32, whichhas a constant length, is lowered into a free space 58 between cover cap46 and securing member 12 until it reaches an end position. Side walls50, 36 and 22, nested into one another, also overlap to a greater degree(FIG. 9).

Given a sufficient diameter of studs 40, 42, in order to avoid anaccumulation of material in this region, studs 40, 42 have a circularcross-section (FIG. 5).

At the periphery, studs 42 have openings 60 which permit lateral removalfrom a die mold (not shown) (FIG. 6). In the region of studs 42, ribs44, which guide hinge cap 32 on securing member 12, are pre-molded oninner sides 38 of side walls 36 of hinge cap 32.

Securing member 12 and hinge member 14 may be implemented as bentsheet-metal parts. Holes 20 for studs 40, elongated holes 30 for studs42, holes for a spring insert 28, holes S4 for the hinge pin and bearingbores 26 may be punched from a sheet-metal blank without significantextra expense. Covering wall 48 of securing member 12 is taken back inregion 52 of hinged joint 16.

In the construction according to FIG. 10, wiper arm 10 has a shortsecuring member 12. In this case, it may be possible to combine covercap 46 and hinge cap 32 to form a one-piece component 64 which, in thesame manner as hinge cap 32 of the other constructions, is mounted onsecuring member 12 and hinge member 14.

What is claimed is:
 1. A wiper arm, comprising: a securing member; ahinged joint; a hinge member coupled to the securing member via thehinged joint; a cover cap affixed to the securing member and including acover wall and side walls laterally contiguous thereto which cover thesecuring member; and a movable hinge cap adjacent to the cover captoward the hinge member and coupled to the hinge member, the hinge capconfigured to cover the hinged joint and to swivel and move in alongitudinal direction while guided on the securing member and the covercap.
 2. The wiper arm according to claim 1, wherein the hinge cap isconfigured to slip onto at least one of the hinge member and thesecuring member.
 3. The wiper arm according to claim 1, wherein thehinge cap includes studs that are on inner sides of side walls thereofand that are invisible from an outside view, the studs configured toengage in holes in side walls of the hinge member and in elongated holesin side walls of the securing member.
 4. The wiper arm according toclaim 3, wherein the studs are configured to snap into the holes of thehinge member and the elongated holes of the securing member by pushingside walls of the hinge cap apart.
 5. The wiper arm according to claim3, wherein at least one of the studs includes a circular cross-section.6. The wiper arm according to claim 5, wherein the hinge cap is producedfrom plastic by injection molding, and at least one of the studsincludes an opening at a periphery to permit lateral removal from amold.
 7. The wiper arm according to claim 1, wherein inner sides of sidewalls of the hinge cap include ribs.
 8. The wiper arm according to claim1, wherein a longitudinal extension of elongated holes in side walls ofthe securing member is curved.
 9. The wiper arm according to claim 1,wherein the hinge cap and the cover cap are produced from plastic. 10.The wiper arm according to claim 9, wherein the plastic issimultaneously wear-resistant, dimensionally stable, and stabilized withrespect to an ultraviolet light.
 11. The wiper arm according to claim 9,wherein the plastic is simultaneously wear-resistant, dimensionallystable, and able to be lacquered.
 12. The wiper arm according to claim1, wherein: ends of side walls of the hinge cap partially overlap sidewalls of the hinge member on an outward side of the hinge member, andthe side walls of the cover cap overlap side walls of the hinge cap toan outside.
 13. The wiper arm according to claim 1, wherein: if thewiper arm is in an extended position, a cover wall of the hinge cap isconfigured to terminate flush with the cover wall of the cover cap andan upper contour of the hinge member, and kinematics of the hinge capare configured such that if the hinge member is lifted, an end of thehinge cap allocated to the hinge member is configured to lift and an endof the hinge cap on a side toward the securing member is configured tolower and plunge into a free space between the cover cap and thesecuring member.
 14. The wiper arm according to claim 1, whereinconfigurations of the hinge member, the hinge cap, and the cover cap areadjusted to one another.
 15. The wiper arm according to claim 1, whereina cover wall of the securing member is shortened lengthwise in a regionof the hinged joint.
 16. The wiper arm according to claim 1, wherein thesecuring member includes a short extension in the longitudinaldirection, and the hinge cap and the cover cap form a one-piececomponent.